College Basketball Daily Fantasy Helper: Wednesday 2/13/19

College basketball season is in full tilt.

March Madness is still roughly a month away, but you can get in all the college hoops hype by playing daily contests at FanDuel today. If you've played NBA DFS before, it's quite simple: pick a total of eight players -- four guards, three forwards and one utility spot you can use for either position. Stay within the $50,000 salary cap and field the team you think will score the most fantasy points.

Where scoring differs from NBA is in the blocks and steals categories, with each worth two FanDuel points apiece rather than the three you get in daily NBA contests.

Now that you're in the know, we can attack today's main slate, which locks at 7:00 p.m. EST and consists of 12 games. Among them, 15th-ranked Texas Tech is faced with a road matchup at Big 12 foe Oklahoma State.

Which players should you be targeting and why?

Guards

Myles Powell, Seton Hall ($8,500): While Seton Hall doesn't own the highest implied total (79.75) on this slate, they might just possess the perfect combination of high total and close game. After all, at home they are only four-point favorites in a game in which they and the Georgetown Hoyas are expected to combine for 155.5 points. That over/under is tied for the highest of the night, and that has the Pirates in a tie for third at just under 80 points. It's totally justified, too, with the Hoyas ranking 116th in defensive efficiency -- per KenPom.com -- and allowing 79.7 points a game in conference play (77.4 for the year). Powell is first among Seton Hall players boasting a 29.9% usage rate, a figure that has only climbed to 30.3% in 11 conference games. That workload has him averaging 31.3 FanDuel points per game behind three straight 20-point games on the floor. He is the night's highest-priced guard, but that too is completely justified.

Jarrett Culver, Texas Tech ($7,700): Unlike the handful of juicy games this evening, Texas Tech's matchup with Oklahoma State isn't very appealing in itself. Both clubs are outside the top 200 in adjusted tempo, which has led to a low 127.5 over/under with Tech getting 67 on the favored (-6.0) side. However, it's certainly worth noting that the Cowboys have surrendered 72.2 points per game in Big 12 play and have given up 70-plus in eight straight, four of which came on their home floor. That is a pattern to follow if you're willing to go contrarian with Culver. The lottery-level talent has had his struggles in recent games, going for no more than 19.4 FanDuel points in any of his last three contests. But he's still at 31.1 per game and has shown the ability to go for 40-plus, a feat he's accomplished twice this season. His shot has been the only real issue of late, as he's shooting 36.8% during this three-game stretch, after hitting 52.1% of his shots in his first 21 games of his sophomore year. If his shot's falling tonight, he could pay off big at a sub-$8,000 price tag.

James Akinjo, Georgetown ($6,600): Despite being on the road and slight underdogs, the Hoyas are directly in play as well. Their 75.75 implied total is still in the top five tonight, in large part due to their fantasy-friendly pace (18th in adjusted tempo) and Seton Hall's okay defense (62nd). Akinjo's 23.4 FanDuel points average is a bit short of his salary-implied output (26.4 at 4.0 points per $1,000), but the freshman is third on the team in scoring, at 13.4 a game, and leads the squad with 5.3 assists a night. Over 31.3 minutes per, he has a 24.4% usage rate and 30.2% assist rate, the latter of which is 7.5% higher than the next Hoya.

Jamorko Pickett, Georgetown ($5,600): Joining Akinjo in the Georgetown backcourt, Pickett doesn't do much in the way of assists, but he still manages to average 15.3 FanDuel points per game behind 6.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.8 blocks-plus-steals. And his fantasy scoring has increased to 16.1 in conference games to date. The inconsistency is there, as shown by games of 3.4 and 6.4, but he's also posted 25 or more in two of his last three games, and for the year he has eclipsed 22.4 -- his salary-implied number -- five times. This is as good a spot as any for him to go beyond that once again.

Malik Dunbar, Auburn ($4,200): Auburn is another team with a high implied total (81.5) as they host Mississippi as 8.5-point favorites at Auburn Arena. They're tied with UCLA for the top total on the board, so expect them to pile up the points at home, where they're already averaging 88.7 points a game on the season. Going low for a punt play like Dunbar is an option in a game like this, specifically for a guy with a respectable 19.4% usage rate while he's on the floor. The sophomore guard is averaging just 7.5 points and 13.9 FanDuel points, but he has exceeded the 20-FanDuel-point mark six times this year in limited opportunities. Don't be afraid to roster him and pay up elsewhere for your surefire production.

Forwards

Nick Rakocevic, USC ($8,000): If it seems like Rakocevic is priced down from where he's been, it's because he is. He is now $300 below teammate Bennie Boatwright after nearing $9,000 earlier in the year, though this can be chalked up to recency bias with the talented forward putting up four substandard games in his last five. Sandwiching a 43.6-point outing against Washington State, Rakocevic put up games of 25.3, 29.5, 25.3 and 20.2. For some players, that's great, but for a guy who's averaging 32.4 -- with those games nontheless -- that's disappointing given the expectations of a high roster cost. That being said, we should be buying low in this spot. Not only is he due to bounce back, but the junior tore up Stanford to the tune of 23 points, 10 rebounds and 43.5 FanDuel points when these two met last on January 6.

Mfiondu Kabengele, Florida State ($6,900): Florida State is the third of four teams set to score over 79 points, according to the oddsmakers. They are big home favorites (-18.5) against Wake Forest, who sit 208th in defensive efficiency and allow 74.1 points per game (76.4 in conference play). The 'Noles tend to have their minutes up and down, but Kabengele has gotten consistent run off the bench, having logged 24-plus minutes in five of the team's last six. During that six-game span he is averaging 28.7 FanDuel points compared to 22.6 for the year. He has posted back-to-back games over 32 FanDuel points, and against tougher defenses at that. So long as he gets the chance, he could be in for a monster night.

Oscar Da Silva, Stanford ($5,900): On the other side of that 146-point total between the Cardinal and Trojans, Da Silva is a must-play at this price. For starters, USC is outside the top 100 in defensive efficiency and their higher pace should help to create more opportunities for Da Silva. Stanford's expected to tally 73.5 points -- 1.1 above their season average. And while the forward is coming off of a dud (11.2 FanDuel points), he has flashed big potential in recent games against Oregon State (47.3) and California (30.4). Oh -- and it only serves you to get him at reduced ownership on a massive 12-game slate.

Jalen Hill, UCLA ($4,800): The fourth and final team with a monster total is UCLA, who are tied for the slate-high at 81.5 points. That's 3.4 points above their season average and 3.1 above their average in conference play through 11 games. They draw a Cal team that, in allowing 79.2 points a game, ranks 339th in the nation and as the single worst team on the slate defensively. They need to be exploited in one way or another, and Hill is the way to go if you are paying down. The junior forward averages 20.3 minutes a game, and his numbers aren't all that attractive, but this game should give him a big boost. Plus, he's coming off one of his best games of the season, in which he scored 12 points en route to 20.1 FanDuel points against Utah. It is a risk, but value isn't all that obvious tonight.

Brett Oswalt is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Brett Oswalt also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username BRO14THEKID. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.